


I Promise

by De_Marvel_Bunny



Series: Whumptober 2019 [3]
Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, Alternate Universe - War, Angst, Author Is Sleep Deprived, Character Death, Eventual Happy Ending, Heavy Angst, How Do I Tag, Hurt No Comfort, Hurt Steve Rogers, Hurt Tony Stark, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, No Fluff, Not Canon Compliant, Sad, Tony Stark Angst, Tony Stark Feels, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Tony Stark-centric, War, Whumping Tony Stark, Whumptober 2019, of sorts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-03
Updated: 2019-10-03
Packaged: 2020-11-22 02:55:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,249
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20867039
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/De_Marvel_Bunny/pseuds/De_Marvel_Bunny
Summary: Steve is called to war, like millions of others. Tony, due to injury, stays behind, waiting for the day his lover will return.He waits, and he waits."You promised me, Steve,"(eventual happy ending of sorts)





	I Promise

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kcusllay](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kcusllay/gifts), [The_Sad_Fangirl](https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Sad_Fangirl/gifts).

> Trigger warning: death
> 
> I wrote this in, like, an hour and it made me so sad so enjoy reading, I guess

"Steve, Steve, please!" Tony begged with tears in his eyes as Steve begrudgingly packed his bag with the basic necessities, tears of his own streaming down his face. "Don't go, please. You can't leave me!"

"I don't have a choice, Tony. You know that," Steve grunted, throwing some clean clothes into his suitcase. He glanced at his love, his life, his everything, and his gaze softened. He let go of his suitcase to gently hold the man's hand in his, wiping his tears away softly. "I wish I didn't, sweetheart, I really do. But this isn't my choice to make."

"I-I know that," Tony said, tears still leaking from his eyes. "But you-you can't- you can't go!" He was outright sobbing at this point.

"I know, baby. I know." Steve pulled him in close, holding him tightly and burying his face in his partner's brown curls as they both cried. "But I'll come back, okay? I promise."

Tony pulled away to look him in the eyes, his usual stubbornness shining brightly through the tears.

"Promise?"

"I promise, Tony," Steve assured him. "I'll come back home to you."

"You better."

"I love you, Tony," Steve said, looking his lover in the eye. Tony's face fell.

"I love you too, Steve," he whispered.

That night, Tony kissed him goodbye before watching him leave, together with thousands of other men, to go to war, not knowing if he'd ever see him again.

* * *

Tony entered his empty house. It was usually filled with warmth, laughter, and happiness. Now, it was just an empty, cold, _dead_ building. He sank down on the sofa- the one he'd fallen asleep on, safely in Steve's arms, so many times. Now, he felt small, tired, cold, and empty. It was like he was missing a part of himself, a Steve-sized hole no one else could fill.

He didn't sleep that night.

Life went on, but not for Tony. He missed Steve, wished he was there with him. Calm down his racing mind, his swirling thoughts and dry his streaming tears. But every day he watched the sun rise, climb its way through the sky and fall back down, only to repeat the cycle all over again the next day. And every day Tony felt the hole in his heart grow bigger. The loneliness was consuming and the world seemed too big, he felt too small and so _alone_.

Steve was called in for war like all the other men capable of fighting. Tony would have been out there, too, fighting by his lover's side. He _should_ be out there, keeping him safe. But he wasn't qualified due to a chest injury he'd sustained that reduced his lung capacity and made him incapable of fighting in a war like this. Which was why he was left behind while his lover risked his life out on the field every day, and Tony didn't know how he was doing, if he was okay, if he was injured, if he missed him, if he felt empty too.

He felt so empty.

* * *

The letter came after four months.

Tony picked up the mail like he did every morning, bags under his eyes and his movements slow and uncoordinated. He was so _tired_. But he couldn't sleep. Not while he felt so _empty_ and _alone_.

One of the letters caught his eye. It was made out of thick, yellow paper. A telegram.

With shaking hands, Tony opened the envelope, pulling out the letter carefully, his stomach swooping with nerves and dread. He scanned over the letter quickly, tears pooling in his eyes when he read it.

_"We sincerely regret to advise you that Steven G. Rogers was shot and killed in battle on the morning of October Third"_

Tony didn't read more than that as the letter fell out of his hand, landing with a thud on the ground. His hands shook and his knees buckled, sending him crashing to the ground. His knees hit the ground painfully, but Tony didn't notice. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't believe this was happening. 

_Steve is dead. He's dead. He's gone._

"No," he sobbed to the empty house. _"__No!"_

He got no answer. The house stayed empty. Stayed silent and dead and _empty_. 

Steve was dead. He wasn't coming back.

Tony's hand went up to his chest, gripping his shirt tightly as tears streamed down his face, his breath coming in short and painful gasps. He felt his heart beat erratically in his chest, painfully skipping beats.

"You promised," Tony sobbed breathlessly. "You promised! _You promised, you asshole!_"

He screamed. A loud, heartbroken and gut-wrenching scream no one should ever have to emit. He screamed until he lost his voice, lost his breath and lost his strength, collapsing onto the ground as he gasped in small amounts of air. His heartbeat was getting weaker, skipping beats it couldn't compensate for anymore. Slowly, it started giving up.

_"You promised me, Steve," _Tony whispered into the dust and _emptiness_ of a house that used to be so warm and full love and full of _Steve_. He groaned as his heart skipped another beat, looking up at the ceiling with clouded eyes. Steve was up there, he knew. He was looking down at him, inviting him in. The longer he looked, the closer Steve felt. He could see him. He saw a light, not far away from him. He could make it there- that's where Steve was. Steve was waiting for him. Why wasn't he with Steve yet? He should go to him. He missed him. He loved him.

"Steve," he said, the words so soft no one would be able to hear him. But he knew Steve would. Steve always listened to him. Steve would hear him. He could see him, see his beautiful face smiling down at him, holding out his hand for Tony to take. His warm, safe hand.

_'Come on, Tony,' _he smiled. _'I'm right here, come with me. I'm waiting for you.'_

Tony wanted to reach out, wanted to take that hand, wanted Steve to take him away but he couldn't move. He gasped in the dusty air his lungs wouldn't take, his muscles spasming and his left arm feeling numb.

_"Steve," _he tried to say, but his voice wouldn't comply. He kept staring at the ever-growing light in front of him, feeling it starting to pull him in. He slowly blinked away the tears in his eyes, his eyelids heavy.

"I love you, Steve" he managed to gasp out brokenly before his head lolled to the side and all breath left his body.

* * *

He blinked and the pain was gone. He wasn't breathing, but he didn't have to. Looking up, he saw Steve, his sweet, sweet Steve still standing there, his hand outstretched and his smile blinding.

_'Come, Tony'_ he spoke softly. _'Come with me, Tony.'_

And Tony wanted to. He wanted to so bad because Steve was _there_ and he was smiling and he felt _real_, filling the empty space with his wide smile and bright eyes, and for the first time in months, Tony didn't feel soempty anymore.

He smiled back, genuinely smiled in a way he hadn't done since his love left for war, and reached out, letting Steve's big hand engulf his own. Steve beamed, pulling him close as the light surrounded them and pressed a soft kiss to his lips.

_'I promised you, Tony_,' he told him. _'I promised I'd come back to you.'_

Tony smiled.

_'I promised.'_

**Author's Note:**

> I take prompts, so please, help me out here


End file.
